Julia didn't bother to respond. She opened the car door and quickly walked towards the opposite side.
Deanna watched her move forward without a care, her heart in her throat. The street was full of cars, and any accident would be a tragedy.
"Julia, slow down and watch the cars!" Deanna shouted. She then told the two little ones to stay in the car and chased after Julia.
Shannon and Nightingale, worried, also got out of the car and followed. They caught up with Deanna on the opposite street and saw Julia standing in front of Lionel, looking very upset.
Next to Lionel was a young woman, around twenty, with delicate features.
"Who is she?" Julia asked coldly, pointing at the woman beside Lionel.
Lionel was momentarily surprised but introduced her calmly, "This is Dalilah Patel, my mom's friend's daughter. She heard about my engagement and came to visit. This is my fiancée, Julia King."
He then explained to Julia, "Miss Patel just arrived today. My mom wanted me to show her around. I planned to invite you for dinner tonight, but we ran into each other here."
Julia listened, glaring at Lionel before turning her gaze to Dalilah. Her intuition told her that Dalilah was hostile towards her. Regardless of Dalilah's intentions, she couldn't lose face.
"So, you're Miss Patel. Thank you for coming all this way to attend our engagement party. My friend and I are shopping; why don't you join us? After all, Lionel doesn't know what women like," Julia said, giving Lionel a warning look.
Lionel smiled at her jealousy and agreed, "Sure, you girls will have more fun together. I have some work at the lab."
Without giving Dalilah a chance to speak, Lionel turned and started to leave.
Dalilah was unwilling to let him go and tried to follow. "Lionel, where are you going?"
"Miss, Lionel has important work to do. Let's not disturb him," Deanna blocked Dalilah's path politely but firmly. "Don't worry; since Lionel left you with us, we'll make sure you have a good time."
She exchanged a look with Julia. Once Lionel was out of sight, Dalilah dropped her ladylike demeanor and looked them over mockingly. "Who wants to shop with you? You look so shabby."
Shabby? Deanna raised an eyebrow in surprise. She looked down at her outfit; it was simple but definitely not shabby. After all, her clothes were custom-made by Lance.
Julia's face darkened. "If you don't want to, then forget it. Deanna, let's go."
She turned and walked away with Deanna. Deanna didn't want to embarrass her friend and followed.
Dalilah didn't expect Julia to actually leave her behind and widened her eyes in shock.
"Julia, I knew you were up to no good! Just wait; I'll make sure Lionel sees your true colors!" she shouted at Julia's retreating figure.
Deanna felt uneasy hearing this and asked, "Are we really leaving her there?"
"She thinks we're shabby. Let her be. If Lionel dares to argue with me over this, I won't marry him!" Julia said angrily.
Deanna wanted to say something but realized that Julia wouldn't listen in her current mood. She signaled Nightingale to follow Dalilah and ensure she didn't get lost in Cloudmere and to inform Lionel about the situation.
Nightingale understood and immediately took out her phone to contact her subordinates. After making arrangements, she called Lionel.
"Mr. Grant, this is Nightingale. Missus asked me to inform you that Miss Patel insulted Miss King after you left, upsetting her. Missus hopes you can resolve this quickly."
"I understand. Please tell Missus to say something nice to Julia for me," Lionel replied, knowing today's incident wouldn't end well with Julia.
Nightingale didn't overstep her bounds by agreeing. "Mr. Grant, it's better if you tell Missus yourself."
Meanwhile, Deanna and Julia took the two little ones from the car and headed to a nearby mall. The kids had seen some of the commotion from afar and guessed what had happened.
They didn't ask any questions but instead pulled Julia into the shops, trying to distract her.